Under the Willow
by LadySlytherin007
Summary: A harmless little note turns into the beginnings of something much more. Can Harry and Hermione be open about their feelings, or will they keep them secret forever? The story unfolds under the willow.


disclaimer: NO, i do not own any of these characters or hogwarts. (dang.) They're entirely J.KRowling's.but what IS mine is the story and the words, so don't even think about copying it!

Late at night, she waits for him. Under the willow tree in by the lake, she is there at precisely midnight. Where is he? She shivers in the October wind, and pulls her red sweater tight around her body. By the light of a full moon, by a silvery lake, she gazes at the stars and listens to the ballads of the wind. Her long mane of curly brown hair dances to it. Cheeks are rosy and eyes are watering from the bittersweet beauty of it all. 12:30. Her hope begins to fade, he surely isn't coming. She was a fool to have believed him. The note she had found in her Potions book after lunch must have been a joke. Hermione had to admit though that the note looked and sounded completely authentic. And if anyone could recognize his handwriting, it should be her after all of the homework, papers, and notes she had reviewed and edited for him. "Stupid, stupid, stupid," she mutters to herself under her breath. Her logical mind recollects the exact wording of the note, after all she had read it at least 20 times since lunch.

_Hermione,_

_I have something important to tell you, but I think it's better to wait until tonight, in person. Meet me by the willow tree beside the lake tonight at midnight. I know you will be worrying about this note all day, and I would tell you not to, but I know you will anyway. SO, I will ask only one thing of you. Don't mention this to Ron. There's no reason for him to worry or get upset at having been left out of this meeting. So let's just keep this quiet, ok? Well, Snape is coming, so I have to go. Don't forget, midnight, tonight, willow by the lake._

Talk to you later, Harry 

"Why is he being so mysterious? Why couldn't he have just pulled me aside some time during the day if whatever he had to say was so important? Why am I worrying about this so much?" She wonders. But deep in her heart, she knows why. After seven years of being best friends with Harry and Ron, and after an experimental dating experience with Ron, she had realized who really owned her heart. Harry Potter. She had tried to pretend for a long time that she didn't feel it, and at times she could temporarily forget about it. But it was always in the back of her mind, in the pit of her stomach, in her heart and in her soul. She loved Harry; there was no escaping that.

She hears the sound of approaching footsteps behind her. Could it be? A shadow emerges from the night. As she strains with all her being to defy the nature of dark, her brow is wrinkled in concentration. She recognizes the being, and smiles. The familiar form drops down beside her on the ground already damp with dew. The moonlight reflects off of his glasses, and his unruly hair is darker then the night itself. Her heart rate quickens, and it takes her a couple of minutes to slow its pace. Once it was under control, she broke he silence they had been sharing.

"Umm.. Harry?"

"Ya?"

"Well, why are we here?"

Harry tries to answer her question but finds himself at a loss for words. To be honest, he doesn't even know what prompted him to write that note in the first place. Maybe it was the way that she had been biting her lower lip as she hastily scribbled her notes, or the way that she unconsciously twirled her hair around her finger when deep in thought……………

"Harry?"

"Oh, yeah hey." He mumbles as a blush spreads across his face. "I just wanted to talk to you is all. Nothing to worry about." But inside his nerves are screaming that he is, in fact, extremely worried.

Hermione looks at him and notices the doubt racing through his eyes and the stray beads of sweat on his forehead. Trying to prompt him to talk, she again asks, "So, what is it you wanted to talk to me about?"

"This is it," he thinks. With a deep breath, he plunges forward. "Now, Hermione, don't say anything until I finish, ok? Unless you get completely freaked out, then you can just tell me to shut up and we'll pretend this never happened." After a nod of affirmation, he proceeds. " I think, well that is to say… Hermione you've always been one of my best friends in the entire world. You know that and I know that, everybody knows that. But I would be lying if I said that's all I feel for you. We're 7th years now, and I think that we're mature to talk about this like adults………" he falters, "or maybe I just couldn't go on not knowing what you thought. After you and Ron, well I have to admit I was somewhat relieved when that ended. It was really awkward, and I couldn't stand the thought of you and him snogging behind my back and……"he stops, thinking he may have gone too far. "My point is, that I couldn't stand hiding this from you. I have to know what you think. So Hermione, tell me. Are we going to just be friends forever, or do I stand a chance?"

"…_do I stand a chance?" _

His face is so sincere, his eyes peering into hers. Somewhere in the distance an owl hoots, and it reminds her that she had been wondering for a couple of years "who…who" if either of them would ever bring this up. She's glad that he had the strength to do it, because she doesn't think she ever would have been able to do it on her own.

"Harry," she begins timidly, unsure how to answer this without seeming desperate. She sees his expression darken slightly; obviously he was thinking that she was turning him down. As soon as she realizes the way her tone had affected him, she grabs his hand and holds it tight. At this, his head snaps back up and she sees something in his eyes; hope. She gives him a nervous smile and continues. "First of all, I want to say that no matter what ever happens between us, we will ALWAYS be friends. But Harry, that doesn't mean we can't be more. To be honest, I've been thinking about this for a long time. And… and……… Harry, I want to be your girlfriend." She winces at the way she blurted that out. "Well, that is, if you want me to be."

"………_I want to be your girlfriend…………. If you want me to be."_

At this, Harry jumps to his feet and pulls her up with him. They're both surprised by his burst of enthusiasm, but she doesn't complain. He picks her up in his arms and spins her as if she's a child. As the world spins around them, he stands her back down on the ground, but doesn't let her go. His arms are around her waist, and hers in turn are around his neck. Eyes are locked on eyes, soul is connected with soul. With only the stars as witnesses, they share their first kiss. Neither of them is expecting the jolt of electricity that surges through them. At this moment in time, nothing else matters. Harry forgets everything but this girl in his arms and realizes that he never wants to hold another.

After what seems like eternity, they pull back to catch their breath. Hermione runs her fingers through Harry's hair, and he tucks a few stray curls behind her ear.

"Well Mr. Potter, you never answered my question." Hermione says in playful sarcasm. Harry laughs, and kisses her again.

"Does that answer your question?"

"Well, I believe it does… but I need to be reassured. Tell me again?" She smiles playfully, and pulls him closer.

"Yes Ma'm." Another kiss, this time more passionate than the previous ones.

Hermione's head spins as all the blood in her body rushes up to it. She loves this boy, and she doesn't have to hide it any more. Not from everyone else, not from him, and not from herself. She has never been happier in her life.

By 2 am, they are walking hand in hand back up to the castle under the shield of Harry's invisibility cloak. Once they arrive in the common room, they unwillingly separate and go to their separate rooms, but not after a goodnight kiss.

At 10 am, Hermione wakes up. She glances around the room and is thankful that it is Saturday. She smiles as she remembers the night before. Harry was hers, and she was his. "It was almost like a dream." She thinks to herself. "Wait, was it?" Hermione finds herself pacing her room frantically, and only after changing clothes and attempting to fix her hair and applying a little bit of makeup does she head down to the common room.

At 10 am, Harry wakes up. He glances around the room and notices the sun is brightly shining and that there is nobody in the room but himself. A grin creeps its way onto his face as he remembers the events of last night. "Like a dream," he thinks. At this thought, the smile disappears from his face. Had it only been a dream? He begins pacing the room, swearing and trying to distinguish the line between reality and dreams. After about 20 minutes, he heads down to the common room.

At the exact same time, Hermione and Harry come bounding down the stairs. They catch each other's eye. She smiles, he winks, and they walk towards each other.

"Was last night real?" Hermione asks him.

Relief floods over him. "I was wondering the same. IT seems too good to be true. But yes, Hermione, last night was real."

They stand there in the middle of the common room, wrapped in each others arms, not caring about anyone else around them. After a quick kiss, Hermione speaks.

"Harry? Lets go for a walk."

"Where to?"

"The willow." And with that, they walk hand in hand back to the spot where they confessed their true feelings only the night before. Through the years to come, they will always remember this spot as the place that their life together, as one, began.

**THE END!**

My first one, please R&R! 


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